Dana White’s Contender Series’ ‘greatest talent’ gets UFC debut opponent

AkbarAbdullaev will reportedly make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against MaironSantos.

Abdullaev (14-0) and Santos (17-1) will meet in a lightweight clashat UFCSaudi Arabia on Dec. 5 in Riyadh, Ag Fight reports. While Santos competes atfeatherweight, he will be moving up a weight class for thisfight.

Akbar Abdullaev vs. Mairon Santos reportedly set for UFC SaudiArabia

Santos has won all four of his UFC fights since joining thepromotion in 2024. The Brazilian will be making his first walk tothe Octagon this year against Abdullaev, who earned his UFCcontract with a 19-second knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in September.

The undefeated Kyrgyz, who previously competed in OneChampionship, boasts a 100% finishing rate. UFC CEO DanaWhite lauded Abdullaev, calling him “the greatest talent” toever fight on DWCS.

“I’m going to call you possibly the greatest talent that’s everbeen on this show in 10 years,” White said. “I think you’re goingto be a huge superstar and a very big threat in this sport.”

Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.